Gabriel Bourque and Nail Yakupov are set to be the healthy scratched forwards, while Duncan Siemens will sit among the defensemen.
The Avalanche held an optional morning skate at BB&T Center, and Jonathan Bernier was the only goaltender that took part in drills. Semyon Varlamov will get the start in net for the third consecutive game and play in his sixth straight outing.
Colorado is coming off a 5-2 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night that stretched its slide to a season-high four contests. Despite the score, Bednar and his players said they played well for long stretches of that game.
"We went into Tampa the other night and did a lot of good things but we still had some mistakes," Bednar said. "I think we can clean up some areas. I don't think the competitiveness that we need out of our group was there throughout our lineup. In the second, it got real good and we were a better team, but penalties hurt us in the end. We have to put it together for 60 minutes."
Taking advantage of the opportunities given by the opposition (and lessening the amount that they give) is another area the Avs can improve in.
"The little details, just keep the game simple and make sure we're not giving turnovers," said defenseman Samuel Girard. "We need to create some turnovers, and we need to have some offense."
Saturday's contest will be the first of the season between the clubs, and the only one Colorado will play at the Panthers' home rink. The teams will meet again in less than a week's time, as the Avalanche hosts the series finale on Thursday at Pepsi Center.
